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Convoy protection
Naval aircraft counters threat to shipping lanes on converted merchant ships and escort carriers
At the outbreak of the Second World War, even though the Admiralty had now taken control of the Fleet Air Arm, it had relatively low experience of convoy protection. The Admiralty in the inter war years had focused on the use of aircraft as part of a large sea battle rather than in Anti- Submarine or convoy patrols. The Admiralty in the interwar years believed that convoys could be safeguarded from submarine attack with the development of Sonar (Asdic), leading them to dismantle the organisation designed to conduct convoys after the First World War - excluding coastal convoys there were nearly 2900 escorted trade convoys with a total of 85 775 ships. Out of these 654 were sunk, a loss rate of 0.7 per cent. When War eventually swept Europe the convoy systems were not equipped or organised for the incredibly important role they needed to play.
Aerial view of German convoy under attack (FAAM)
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Convoy protection
